Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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59. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of homebuyers in counties Clare, Limerick and Tipperary who have availed of the enhanced help-to-buy scheme since 23 July 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21469/23]

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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63. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of homebuyers in counties Offaly, Laois, Longford and Westmeath, respectively who have availed of the enhanced help-to-buy scheme since 23 July 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21517/23]

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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67. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of Carlow homebuyers who have availed of the enhanced help-to-buy scheme since 23 July 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21451/23]

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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Will the Minister for Finance outline the number of homebuyers in counties Clare, Limerick and Tipperary that have availed of the enhanced help-to-buy scheme since 23 July 2020?

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 59, 63 and 67 together.

The help-to-buy initiative announced in budget 2017 is an income tax incentive measure designed to assist first-time buyers with the deposit required to purchase or self-build a new house or apartment to live in as their home. With a view to increasing the supply of new housing and stimulating demand, the relief is only available in respect of new builds. In the July 2020 stimulus plan, the scheme was amended so that the level of support available to first-time buyers was increased to the lesser of €30,000 - increased from €20,000, or 10% - increased from 5%, of the purchase price of a new home or self-build property; or the amount of income tax and deposit interest retention tax, DIRT, paid in the four years before the purchase or self-build. The scheme was extended in its enhanced form in budget 2021. The help-to-buy scheme was extended in the Finance Act 2022 for a further two years to the end of 2024. This approach took account of the need for certainty in the market pending an increase in new housing supply envisaged in Housing for All and is in line with a recommendation of the independent review of the scheme completed by Mazars in July 2022.

Applications for the help-to-buy scheme may be made on a provisional basis as first-time buyers seek to clarify their entitlements in advance of commencing the purchase of a property. An application will only progress to the claim stage if and when the applicant decides to purchase a property that is eligible for the scheme. It is at the claim stage that the property address details become available. To the end of April 2023, 39,657 help-to-buy claims had been made, of which 38,924 had been approved. The estimated total value of approved claims to date is in the order of €786.3 million and the total value of approved and pending claims to date is in the order of slightly less than €800 million. I have information about the number of claims relating to properties located in the counties referred to by different Deputies, including Deputy Cahill, where the relief exceeded €20,000 or more than 5% of the purchase price or approved valuation. In Tipperary, that number was 290 claims.

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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Does the Minister have any plans to further amend the scheme to help first-time buyers? Does he have any plans to devise a mechanism to prevent developers from refusing the help-to-buy scheme funding as a deposit for a house purchase?

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I had an exchange with Deputy Connolly earlier about the future of the scheme. It is a scheme that the Government and I strongly support, given the fact that almost 40,000 people have benefited from it over the past number of years, many of whom would not have been in a position to buy a home without it. In the Budget Statement last year, it was announced that the scheme would be extended to the end of 2024. We will keep it under review in the interim period, with a view to setting out what the position will be beyond 2024. We will do that in the context of future budgets.

Will the Deputy clarify his second point on the deposit and I will come back to him?

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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Some developers will not accept a deposit from people using the help-to-buy scheme. I have heard of a few instances where developers have refused to accept it as a deposit on a new house. That is something that needs to be looked into. The figures the Minister gave for the scheme are impressive. I urge him to extend the it. Any further amendments that could improve it would be most welcome. The expenditure on the scheme fully justifies it and shows its benefit to first-time buyers.

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I would be grateful if the Deputy would share some of the details of the cases he is referring to with my office so that we can examine them and make sure that the legislation is being fully applied in all cases. He has correctly highlighted the value of the scheme in his county. A number of other colleagues tabled questions relating to Carlow, Clare, Laois, Limerick, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath. In most counties, hundreds of claims have been successful in recent years. That underlines the value of the scheme. We will keep it under review, but if the Deputy could share some of the details of that specific deposit-related question with my office, I will have it examined and we will come back to him.